‘The Demon in the Dark: Batman vs The Secret Six’ Impressions

The Demon In The Dark: Batman vs. The Secret Six is a fan film that was uploaded to YouTube last week by Forewarned Films. It’s a little over sixteen minutes long and is inundated with easter eggs, enough to make any DC fan giddy with joy. The film’s tone is akin to Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy, but has an air of humor and fun comparable to CW’s The Flash. But the sixteen minutes provides much more than that: a side of Batman his silver screen appearances only take a glance at (sans Batman Begins).
I was immediately reminded of the opening title sequence of Batman: The Animated Series; most of the short film shows the Bat as just a shadowy figure in the dark or a distant and haunting silhouette. He comes out of nowhere, it seems, snatches his pray, and takes off in complete silence. The film begins with the Secret Six and their handlers discussing “The Demon;” his alleged eating of people is grounded in famous urban legend tales like El Chupacabra, who is referenced as well. Consequently, I spent the majority of the film’s run time inwardly hoping Bats would not be shown up close. I wanted him to remain in the shadows for the duration of the video, because the mythic-figure vibe the character inhabits, especially early in his career, is one of my favorite aspects of Batman. However, disappointment was not a feeling of mine when he did appear as “just a guy in a suit.” The camera never pulled in too close, presumably a clever way of not revealing too much of the Batsuit due to a budget, and he only spoke once saying two simple, yet effective, words.
This take on Batman, while not new as far as the comics and animated works are concerned, was refreshing. I was additionally reminded of Todd McFarlane’s recently revealed vision for the Spawn film he has been scripting. His hopes are that Spawn can be a boogeyman in the shadows. Which is, once again, akin to Batman’s early career in several iterations, but McFarlane’s idea is one with a horror aesthetic not often depicted in many Bat-projects. Though this short film gets fairly close.
I love Batman fan films; they are typically imbued with passion and an understanding of the Dark Knight that go above and beyond expectations. This one is no exception.

The film can be viewed below:

[Photo Source: Movieweb.com]

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Brianna Reeves

Brianna Reeves is an editor at GeekFeed. She has written for Geeks of Color, and has worked as an editor for numerous publications.